Radish, snap pea and burrata salad

I’ve made this salad at least a dozen times since sugar snap peas appeared at the market – I’m crazy for it. It’s dead simple, but it looks like a million bucks on the plate. It’s equally suited to a solo desk lunch or an impressive dinner party starter. I’ve also brought it along on picnics, each element prepped ahead of time and then thrown together in minutes on site. (Scale up for a larger crowd.) It’s fresh and bright and wonderful and … please, just try it.

Instructions

Scrub the radishes well, then trim off the greens and whiskery end bits. Thinly slice using a mandoline or sharp knife, or simply cut into quarters. Wash the snap peas, trim the ends and pull away the connective strings. Slice the snap peas on the diagonal.

Tear the burrata into pieces and scatter over a serving plate. Top with the radishes, then the snap peas, then the chives. Sprinkle over the zest and juice of the lemon, then drizzle generously with olive oil. Season with sea salt and several cracks of black pepper.

Serve with the crusty bread for mopping up all the vinaigrette.

Notes

• I prefer breakfast radishes when I can find them, but the recipe doesn’t demand it.

• You can use a big ball of burrata, a semi-soft cheese, but I also like using the smaller burratini. In this case, I usually dice instead of tear. You can also use a ball of regular, soft mozzarella if you can’t find burrata.

• This isn’t a salad of precision – add more of whichever ingredient you like best, and substitute or add your favourite herbs, especially fennel fronds.